Once in a Blue Moon
by Magik 'n' Chaos
Summary: When Alfred decides to go to England to collect the inheiritance of an estranged Aunt, he is drawn into the unusual and fanstastical world she left behind and one mysterious, blonde haired boy in particular. Rated T for adult themes, cursing, USUK, OCs
1. Chapter 1

**Yay! My first Hetalia fanfiction and... Alfred is so out of character it hurts T_T I'm so out of touch with my fanfiction side, so excuse me while I find it again (Seriously, I wrote random crack about Twilight for the last two years) I just couldn't leave this idea alone so yeah, I'll probably update every week, but don't hang me if I don't, 'kay? Oh yeah, if you know me as Pancake, I love you \(*0*)/ cause so few do since I retired and just became funny without posting it on the internet ;) There's three OCs I wanna tell you about now to get it over with; Tegan is Wales, Ian is Scotland, Alastar is Ireland. And don't go complaining about their features now cause England/Arthur has blonde hair; not found naturally in England, and green eyes; surprise, surprise, not found in England naturally. =_= I should know I'm half English, half Welsh -u- Also, excuse any language mistakes when it comes to Irish and Scottish Gaelic, the website itself was in Gaelic, because that's **_**so **_**helpful m(_ _)m Luckily I know a bit of Welsh, so that should be alright (damn, I've jinxed it _) When I was looking up names I found out Elizaveta is the Russian version of Isabella, I'm so touched :,)**

**Rated M – for language, violence, adult themes, mentions of sex (no lemons cause... I can't write 'em _)**

**P.S. a special mention if you're the first one to realise where I got the name of the village from n_n**

**-I don't own Hetalia-**

_Even within living memory, some __rural__ families left small gifts, such as bowls of food or saucers of milk, for the pixies in order to placate them. When shown this respect and attention, pixies would sometimes even help the family by tidying up the household during the night._

Alfred glanced out the window of the cab, he cringed at the endless rows of trees and lush, green grass. He had only been in England for six hours and he already missed the skyscrapers and nosy bustle of New York. No one had warned him he would be going to the countryside part of England! Alfred lent his head against the cool glass; his jetlag was not helping the situation either.

The cab driver gave him a worried glance in the rear view mirror. "You alright, mate?" he asked.

Alfred sat up and smiled winningly. "Yeah, I'm cool." He replied.

Satisfied with his answer the cab driver moved on "We'll be there soon, see that tower." He said, pointing ahead.

Alfred peered out of the window into the dull grey horizon, he spotted the tip of a tower that stuck out above the old oak trees, vines twisted about the roof, Alfred was unsure if the vines were pulling the tower down or holding in up.

"So your Madge's great nephew?" questioned the man.

Alfred rubbed his neck awkwardly, it was not the first time he had been asked that since his arrival this small village, what was it called again; Casterbridge? As soon as he mentioned the address, everybody was his best friend, it seemed no one did not know Aunt Margaret, or as they called her; Madge.

"Yes, I am, but I never met her." Explained Alfred, from what he had heard, when his Grandparents moved to America to start a new life, Aunt Margaret had opted to stay behind; she wanted to keep in touch with her routes. Slowly communication between Alfred's Grandfather and Aunt Margaret decayed until they completely lost touch. That was until Alfred received a letter of inheritance, his Mother encouraged him to take it, saying it was an adventure, Alfred liked the idea of an adventure so he took it, something he now regretted.

"Oh, that's too bad." Commented the cab driver. "She was a lovely lady, bit eccentric though, always talking about mythical creatures; y'know, fairies and the like." The cab veered into a driveway that had two more roads leading off it either side of a massive house.

As Alfred stepped out of the cab, he could not help but gape at the house, house was the wrong word in truth; mansion would be more suiting. With its winding turrets, vines gripping the brickwork and mahogany door, Alfred could have stepped into a Victorian movie.

The driver gave Alfred a pat on the back. "If you have any problems, just go ask Elizaveta." The man gestured down a pebbled path with pink roses growing either side.

Alfred watched silently as the cab driver drove away, with a small sigh he climbed the stone steps to the door and unlocked it with the keys that came with the letter; the effective cause of his being here in the dreary countryside of a dreary country.

The house was surprisingly organised and neat; Alfred had a fixed image of his estranged Aunt being some cat-crazed packrat. Dumping his duffel bag of clothes and necessities in the hallway, Alfred decided to investigate. The overall decor of the house was what Alfred expected of a typical British house with polished wood flooring, dark yet flowery wallpaper and furniture you did not dare sit on for fear of marking it in some way. Cabinets were filled with strange mementos from different decades, Alfred smiled at the old black and white picture of his Grandfather and; he assumed, Aunt Margaret, as children, Alfred realised with a slight amount of pride that he looked identical to his Grandfather; from the bright eyes hid behind spectacles to the spiky hair complete with that little cowlick that would never behave. Aunt Margaret's hair was long and plaited; it was darker than Grandfather's but the lack of colour meant Alfred could not determine if it was ginger or brown. Both children were smiling gleefully and Grandfather was holding a large fishing net in one chubby hand. Alfred placed the picture back in its rightful place and continued to look over the shelves.

There was a few more pictures of Margaret as she grew older; she was a very pretty lady with what Alfred determined was auburn hair and bright blue eyes like his own yet there was no wedding photos or any other man in general. Incessant ringing sounded from the hallway; Alfred bounded into the hall and to where he abandoned his phone, and quickly picked it up.

"Yo!" he answered.

"Hey, Alfred." Replied a quiet voice on the other line. "How's the house?"

Alfred smiled broadly; he would recognise his little cousin Matthew's soft voice anywhere. "It's very... English." He said for lack of a better word.

Matthew chuckled. "I would expect so, how long do you have to stay there?"

Alfred pulled the letter out of his back pocket and scanned it quickly. "Five days, until the lawyer can get to the house."

Matthew sighed. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked worriedly.

Alfred did his best hero laugh. "I'm twenty five; I can take care of myself!"

"Last time you said that, you set fire to the shed." Grumbled Matthew.

"Look, Mattie, I'm hungry so I'm gonna cook myself something." Said Alfred, darting around the subject, he glanced up at the clock; it was already five o'clock.

"Sure, bye Al." Matthew begrudgingly let the subject drop.

"Bye!" chimed Alfred.

After he had hung up, Alfred began searching through the cupboards in the kitchen, luckily for him a lot of tinned goods were still hidden away in the mahogany cupboards. Settling for a bowl of baked beans, not nearly enough to fill his black pit of a stomach, Alfred sat in the ridiculously large Dining Room, there had to be at least ten chairs surrounding the shiny table and even then they were liberally spaced. Alfred felt extremely awkward sitting by himself and finished his food with more haste that usual.

Alfred was glad to find out that Aunt Margaret was up to date with technology and had a dishwasher and a television among other appliances. Alfred was disappointed to find that there were only English channels, though it would not have hard to figure that one out. Not really concentrating on the show he had switched to; something about posh people judging the price of stuff people had pulled out of their attics and declared antiques, Alfred thought about tomorrow, he would definitely have to go food shopping but after that there was nothing much to do, Alfred knew he should have brought video games and a console with him, but he only had his PSP. There were also the movies Alfred had brought; all scary of course, it seemed a good idea at the time but now he was all alone in this massive house he was regretting it.

Time passed slowly as Alfred lolled on the sofa, watching the programs that came on with disinterest, eventually Alfred decided to call it a night and crawl into one of the many guest beds. It was not easy falling asleep; wind rattled the old windows, floor panels creaked with no reason and sheep; sheep of all things, bleated outside. Alfred stuffed his head under a fluffed pillow and forced his mind to shut down, for a few hours his managed to get some dreamless rest with all thoughts and noises blocked by the thick pillow.

From downstairs something fell with a loud bang, Alfred sat bolt upright, images of headless ghosts and demon children flashing through his mind. Slowly he crawled out of bed in only underwear; American flag print obviously, and fumbled for the flashlight he had seen in the drawer. Flicking it on nervously, Alfred tiptoed down the stairs. The crash had dissolved into a snuffling sound, _Oh great, _thought Alfred. _A werewolf in the English countryside. _

Alfred jumped round the corner of the kitchen and flashed his flashlight into whatever monster was there. A shocked hiss was let out by the intruder, and wide amber eyes grew wider as the creature stared up at Alfred. Alfred stared back in shock this intruder was less werewolf more cat. A tan and white tabby cat to be exact, with long fur made even longer by the fact that the cat was fluffed up in shock.

Alfred lowered the flashlight. "Sorry, little dude, you made me jump." He explained.

The cat eyed him warily but let its fur lie flat, with a huff; it strode out of the kitchen through a cat flap Alfred had not noticed before. Alfred let out a chuckle, maybe he was half-right about the cat-crazed bit of Aunt Margaret, but beside that there was little he knew of this distant relative.

"Right," declared Alfred. "It's my mission to find out everything about Aunt Madge." He brought his fist up in acceptation to his self-proclaimed challenge.

Since there was little chance of Alfred getting back to sleep with all this unused adrenaline in his body and in seven in the morning already anyways, Alfred decided to make breakfast, he glanced through the cupboards for some type of cereal, even muesli would be alright with Alfred's hunger. Unexpectedly, there was an egg carton and a packet of bacon sitting in the cupboard, all in date Alfred found out after an inspection. Alfred was sure the food was not there last night or else he would have rustled up something good for dinner. If there was a ghost in the house, he certainly was a helpful one.

"Thanks." Said Alfred to the empty room, not wanting to be rude.

After a filling breakfast and a relaxing exploration of the bathroom, Alfred headed to the local supermarket, he was happy to find a courtesy car parked in his drive and keys posted through his letterbox. The car was not as good as his beast back home but it helped him get to the supermarket, stocked all of Alfred's shopping bags; and there was a lot of bags, then got home successfully.

As Alfred piled the shopping out of the car, he noticed a young woman tending to the roses that grew around one of the pathways. She had soft, brown hair hidden by a woven sunhat; even though it was sunny in the slightest, and a curvy though short form.

"Hey," called Alfred to the young woman.

The woman looked up, one gloved hand coming up to keep her fat firmly on her head. "Oh my, you must be Madge's great-nephew!" she exclaimed.

"Ah, yes." Said Alfred, checking off another person who knew Aunt Margaret on his mental checklist.

"Well I'm Elizaveta, but you can call me Liz." Said Liz with a bright smile.

"I'm Alfred." Said Alfred with a smile, it seemed it was getting more comfortable staying in this place.

Liz turned back to her gardening, "You must come and meet my husband sometime." She said absently.

Alfred nodded slightly, then he remembered the challenge he had set himself. "Hey, Liz." Liz looked up questioningly. "Did you know Aunt Margaret well?"

Liz shrugged, "Quite well, yes, why?"

Alfred stepped over, his shopping temporarily forgotten. "Do you think you could tell me about her?" he asked.

Liz straightened up, yet even her full height did not even come near Alfred's shoulders. "Well," she mused, recalling memories "She was very kind, always caring for strays and the like, and she had strong belief in magic."

"Magic?" questioned Alfred, thinking he had misheard.

Liz nodded. "It was more like fairies and elves and pixies, she would always leave a bowl of milk and honey out for them on the windowsill and swore that it was gone in the morning." Liz laughed. "It was probably just her fat cat!"

Alfred laughed, thinking of the cat he had a run in with this morning. "What's the cat's name?" he asked.

Liz thought deeply for a moment. "Merlin, I think."

Alfred resisted the urge to burst not laughing, it would most likely be considered rude to his Aunt. With a small smile Alfred departed from Liz and started to haul shopping into the kitchen, he was glad he had always been stronger than average but liked to keep it up with a run now and again. After the arduous task of bringing everything indoors and putting it in its proper place – during this time, Merlin watched Alfred haughtily from a hallway shelf – Alfred lent on the counter and stared out over the large garden, that was complete with a pond and marble cherub statues that had rotted slightly over time. Deciding it was not too cold outside, Alfred headed into the garden, the grass was neat and orderly like they had been mown only a few days ago and no weeds dared to show their heads. Shimmering fish darted about the small pond and frogs crouched lazily at the edges.

Alfred was not interested in all this, he was more preoccupied with the small door in the fencing at the end of the garden, the door could not have been more than five foot high and a small rusted lock kept it shut. Alfred stared at the door, he would have dismissed it but an idea kept bugging him. If the door is disused why hasn't the vines grown over it? If was a fair thought as the vines had taken over every other wall in the garden expect that little space the door occupied.

Alfred lounged on the couch with Merlin spread on his stomach, snoring softly. The American was also dozing with his glasses askew on his nose, the television droning pleasantly in the background. A peaceful silence had fell over the house; that is until Merlin woke up with a yowl, digging his sharp claws into Alfred's toned stomach. With a yell, Alfred awoke, not remembering where he had fell asleep, he fell off the sofa with a loud thump and a possible cracking of his rear.

Merlin shot off upstairs with more pitiful yowls and trying to persevere through the terrible pain in his back, Alfred ran after him. He followed the yowling which melting into weaker mews until he was standing in front of Aunt Margaret's old bedroom, Alfred thought there was something a bit off about entering a dead lady's bedroom, Merlin's cries were not slowing in the slightest. Swallowing back his reservations, Alfred pushed into the room; it was surprisingly typical for an old Lady's room with a dressing table, flowery bed prints and simple pictures of nature scenes. Alfred drifted over to the dressing table where there stood another black and white photo, again there was Aunt Margaret with her long hair sitting reading a small book aloud, judging by the way her lips were parted. Listening raptly were two other children; both of them looked pretty genderless to Alfred. One had spiky hair and thick, dark eyebrows with the other had black waves that curled at its shoulders and fell into its eyes. Grandfather had no other siblings besides Aunt Margaret, maybe the children were friends, but they seemed too ethereal and were dressed in ruffled shirts and long boots. A ridiculous thought came to Alfred's mind; maybe they were fairies, Alfred scoffed at the idea, he may believe in aliens but fantasy creatures was pushing it, anyways, fairies dressed in frocks and had glittery wings.

Merlin mewed loudly to gain Alfred's attention, the cat was sitting on Aunt Margaret's bed expectantly, a necklace twisted at his paws.

"You shouldn't take stuff like that, little dude." Complained Alfred, _wouldn't you get cursed or something?_

Merlin only mewed and pushed the necklace towards Alfred, reluctantly he picked it up; it was a simple gold chain with a small bronze key and a miniature ring that would barely fit on the pinkie finger of a newborn baby. As Alfred's fingers brushed the ring, a jolt of pleasure coursed through him, that jolt forced out a small moan, much to Alfred's shock. An immediate blush followed it, that jolt was a onetime thing as when Alfred touched it again nothing happened; it just felt like normal metal. When Alfred held the ring closer, he noticed intricate carving on the outside in a language he did not recognise.

Not wanting to lose the valuable looking object, Alfred slipped it over his neck and let to rest comfortably against his chest. Satisfied, Merlin jumped off the bed and sauntered out of the room, leaving Alfred to wonder what had spooked him in the first place.

As he walked down the hallway, Alfred wondered what the key unlocked, his thoughts zoomed to the small door in the fence outside, which Alfred had figured out only led to the forest that surrounded the house and the others near it. The key looked more like one designed for inside doors but Alfred had yet to discover a locked door in this place. Alfred smiled; he loved mysteries almost as much as he loved adventures.

As Alfred placed dishes into the dishwasher after dinner; a hearty meal of pasta with enough for three large helpings, movement in the garden caught his eye, pausing in his chores, he looked out the window properly. Chewing on the grass outside was a sandy rabbit with floppy ears, Alfred and the rabbit stared evenly at each other for a while before Alfred went back to his tasks.

When he finished clearing the kitchen, Alfred went back to the window to see if the little rabbit was still there and was pleasantly surprised to see it still was munching away steadily at the grass, that little rabbit was most likely the reason the grass was kept so short. The rabbit was like Alfred, it had a bottomless stomach. Merlin jumped up on the windowsill, giving Alfred a heart attack and sending the little rabbit scuttling off into the undergrowth. Merlin looked pointedly at the empty dish on the windowsill. Alfred remembered Liz's words about the milk and honey left for the supposed magical creatures.

"Ha! As if I'd feed a lump o' lard like you." Shouted Alfred as he stuck out his tongue. "I'm helping you, kinda like a hero!"

Merlin gave Alfred a disinterested look as if he was not losing out by Alfred's refusal before leaping off; quite elegantly for a cat of his size, the windowsill and sauntering off down the garden to tease the fish. Alfred shrugged off Merlin's sulking and strode off to the front room. Luckily there was a quite interesting documentary on aliens that kept Alfred absorbed until late, with a sigh, Alfred turned his head to the ceiling as the end credits rolled, if the next three days were going to be like today, Alfred would surely die of boredom before that damned lawyer got here, why did he have to wait five days anyways? To see if he was worthy of the inheritance? Alfred puffed his cheeks out in annoyance, but that annoyance quickly deteriorated into tiredness, the jetlag had not entirely left him. Eyes slipping shut slowly, Alfred fell asleep of the comfy sofa. As Alfred slept voices sounded in his dreams;

"Where is the food?" demanded one person with a clear and cool voice.

"No one has been here for weeks." Consoled the other person with a voice like a slow-flowing stream.

"I see a human now." Pointed out the first person. "Yet there is no food."

"That man is Joshua is he not?" asked the second voice.

"Oh, yes, he is." Said the first voice in a delighted tone. "But then why has he left us no food?"

"He is bigger, maybe he forgot." Reasoned the second voice.

There was a moment of silence. "I miss Madge." Said the first voice quietly. "She gave us food."

"I miss her too." Agreed the second voice.

Alfred sat up with a start, the voices still echoing in his head, with a confused head he turned to the old clock on the fireplace, Alfred had slept the whole night on the sofa and it had done no good for his back. Stifling a groan of pain, Alfred stretched feeling and hearing the bones and muscles in his back pop and click. As he stood, something crackled under his foot, looking down, Alfred saw it was a picture, but unlike the others he had seen this one was in colour, it was of Aunt Margaret's garden during a brighter summer than this one, the flowers kept a spattering of colour against the green of the vines and grass. They were not the only coloured thing, there was the genderless child with the blonde hair sprawled on the ground, it was hard to see the child at first as the grass was partially covering it, a rabbit like the one Alfred had seen was perched on its chest. Now the child was older, Alfred could appreciate its strange, almost sensual beauty. Frowning, Alfred physically beat away his thoughts with one hand, he could not have thoughts like that, that kid was the same age as his Grandfather and probably dead by now.

Picture still clasped in his hand, Alfred headed upstairs to shower, sleeping in the same clothes always made him feel a bit grimy. The hot shower helped relax the painfully tight muscles in Alfred's back; Alfred enjoyed the feeling of the warm water streaming down his sun kissed body. When he finally stepped out of the shower, the room was steamed up considerably. His inner child reared his head when he scrawled 'ALFRED THE HERO!' across the steamed up mirror. With a small chuckle Alfred wiped his big hand over the mirror, clearing all the steam that had collected on it.

Behind him two ice blue eyes stared out of elfin face. With a startled shout Alfred whipped round only to discover no one was there. Not convinced, Alfred peered round the bathroom door and checked his bedroom, Merlin snored peacefully on his bed but no one else was in the room. Alfred dried off and got into a new change of clothes, but he couldn't dismiss the feeling someone was watching him. It was a feeling that followed him all the way downstairs into the kitchen. As he walked by the window, Alfred registered that the rabbit was in the garden again chewing on the grass and now it had an eating partner of a sheep. _Wait. _Alfred froze and slowly backtracked to the window, he was not going mad, there was definitely a miniature sheep complete with curled horns, grazing in the garden.

Alfred stared at the oblivious sheep, wondering if eleven in the morning was too early to knock at Liz's. He eventually decided that Liz seemed the morning type and headed down the rose framed path. Liz's house was smaller and more cottage like that Aunt Margaret's house. Alfred carefully knocked on the white front door, worried he might awaken those inside. The barking of a dog surprised Alfred, this barking was silenced by a stern 'shush, Vash'. A man in his thirties with swept back black hair and unreadable eyes opened the door. At his side was an excitable grey husky with a mad expression and a lolling tongue; Alfred guessed that was Vash.

The man eyed Alfred. "May I help you?" he asked.

Alfred hoped Liz had mentioned him. "I'm Alfred; I'm Margaret's great nephew."

Realisation painted the man's features. "Oh yes, Liz mentioned you, Please come in, my name is Roderich."

Alfred followed Roderich inside; their house was much brighter and sunnier that Aunt Margaret's house, Vash was at Alfred's side constantly checking him over to see if he was a danger. Their kitchen was very friendly with its pastel colours and cute little figurines of rosy cheeked little fairies and their insect helpers. A small girl with short blonde hair and a red ribbon tied in it was drawing with crayons at the table. Alfred glanced at the drawing while Roderich went to find his wife; Vash stayed at the little's girl's side as her clear guardian, the picture the girl was drawing froze him to the core; it was of the two genderless children, crudely drawn yet still easily recognisable.

The small girl looked up at Alfred with teal coloured eyes. "Hello." She said cautiously.

"Hey." Replied Alfred just as cautiously.

"Oh hello, Alfred, what brings you here?" said Liz as she entered the room. "I see you've met my _kis vir__á__g; _Lily"

"Ah, yeah," Alfred thought how to phrase his question without it sounding strange or stupid. "There's like... a sheep in my garden."

Liz smiled while Roderich let out a small chuckle. "Oh dear, that's quite unfortunate." Said Liz, "Sheep can be quite a problem round here, I'm sure if you just chase it off, it will be okay."

"Oh, alright." Alfred did not expect the problem to be solved so quickly, it now felt awkward coming all this way.

As if she could sense Alfred's feelings, Liz pulled a pie off the counter and onto the table, laughing as Lily, Roderich and Alfred's eyes all lit up. "Maybe you could stay for pie." She offered.

"Maybe." Said Alfred bashfully, even though he was already sitting down.

Liz's pie was certainly delicious and made Alfred feel miles better and fuller than he had been in a while. Yet his thoughts always went back to the picture Lily was drawing, he had heard about children being more sensitive to supernatural events, but unless there was still ghosts of those strange children roaming around; which was a possibility, Lily would have never come into contact with them.

Alfred was glad to find the sheep and rabbit had disappeared from the garden when he got indoors, Merlin meowed in annoyance by an empty food bowl, reminding Alfred of his responsibilities. After he had filled the bowl and Merlin was munching happily, Alfred noticed that there was an empty packet of cookies strewn on the ground, Alfred frowned, he was sure he would remember eating something like that, well he was sure he would remember eating anything, a trail of crumbs lead to Merlin's bowl solved the issue of who eat the cookies but how he got to them was still a mystery.

Alfred decided to explore the garden further. He had only seen the main part of it yesterday. Alfred stepped into the fresh air and breathed deeply, he could not deny the air was much cleaner out here in the countryside. Alfred, with a now satisfied Merlin trailing behind him, ventured into one of the openings in the wall. The opening itself led into a maze made of hedges.

Just wandering around the maze and taking in the cool atmosphere was enough for Alfred at first, but irritation quickly grew at his inability to find the centre. Letting out a growl of frustration at another dead end, Alfred spun on his heels to walk back; standing at the end of the path was the child with black hair and cool eyes. A large cookie in one hand and tell tale crumbs around its mouth, when its eyes met with Alfred's, it let out a startled gasp and darted off. Alfred was not letting the child go, he ran after it with fierce determination, the child was fast but Alfred's longer stride meant he was soon on its tail. As they entered a particular long straight Alfred lunged at it. With a surprised squeak, both the child and Alfred tumbled to the moist ground. Now he had it in his arms, Alfred realised the child was smaller than he first thought, and it had also been knocked out by the force of the tumble.

**Ha ha, Vash is nothing like his Husky form -shot- I don't wanna make the characters OOC, you gotta believe me T^T There is so many nods to different things in this, brownie points for those who get them. No Iggy appearance yet =_= but soon, soon, I promise! I want Hungary as my mum, then I could eat pie ^^" The food obsessed voice reminds me of myself, that's depressing... Anyways, please review, 'puppy eyes' - OnO **


	2. Chapter 2

**I've changed the rating from an M to a T, every warning is still the same, just toned down a bit. I wonder, do you have the term 'ram-rod straight' in America? It's quite popular here in England but I don't know if it's the same over the pond. This will probably be my last update 'til the new year so if the world does not explode, I'll see you then! I realised when I was writing this, it seems more TeganxAlfred, it isn't meant to be that way, I'm just expressing how handsome and alien the Fey are. Don't worry, Alfred and Arthur will get together eventually, even if there is some hate at first, ha ha isn't there always? Everything is slowly being cleared up but it will still be a few more chapters until everything is cleared up, could you also appreciate the fact that Fey Folk don't regard gender as an important thing and only view gender as the person who has the child and the person who impregnates. Please excuse mistakes and MERRY CHRISTMAS from a very tired writer who is suffering painful writer's block on my original book m(_ _)m**

**I don't own Hetalia**

_A name is usually not given lightly. It represents thought and feelings and can be significant when given the right usage, especially when used in Magic_

The dull sun had just begun to touch the misty horizon in the first signs of twilight. In the house, Alfred carried a tray of milk and honey up to one of the smaller guestrooms. He tried not to think too much about what he was carrying, in fact, the more he thought about it the stupider and more gullible it seemed. Yet the whispered words of the strange voices; one like air and the other like water, still haunted his conscious. Alfred wondered if the two unearthly children in the pictures were also the owners of the lingering voices, which would only cement his growing theory that the house was haunted by said children. There was only one hole – and a gaping one at that – in his theory, and that was the child he had crashed into in the maze part of the garden.

For Alfred to be able to crash into the small child with such force made him doubt it was a ghost. At first Alfred was unsure what to do with the child; more late teenager when Alfred got a better look at it, Merlin stopped by Alfred's side but was of no help in the situation, not that Alfred expected him to be. Finally Alfred decided to take the teenager indoors, as he lifted the teenager, he realised it was a female and most definitely the same one from the picture and one behind him in the bathroom that morning. She was undeniably beautiful with shimmering skin and delicate, elfin features, her jet black hair set off her red lips and rosy cheeks. She was extremely light as well, making her no trouble for Alfred to carry.

Alfred set the tray down on the wooden bed side table, the girl had been unconscious for an hour now, that could not be healthy Alfred decided. In an attempt to wake her, Alfred tried wafting over the smell of the milk and honey unsuccessfully. Merlin watched from the end of the bed, Alfred was sure if Merlin had eyebrows, one of them would be raised. Alfred flopped on the bed with a sigh and let out a louder one when the girl still did not wake.

"What are we gonna do, little dude?" Groaned Alfred.

Trying his best to be comforting, Merlin rubbed his head against Alfred's hand, when he did not receive an enthusiastic response; Merlin moved onto the sleeping girl, he gave a few short licks to her face in an attempt to rouse her. Her skin had a sweet taste to it, like ripe cherries or red liquorice. Merlin paused when the girl's long eyelashes stirred slightly. Merlin let out a small mew to alert Alfred of the girl's movement. Alfred lent over with wide eyes, his breathing stilled.

"Is she waking up?" he asked quietly.

Slowly, the girl's lids parted to reveal clouded blue eyes; the girl looked around the room groggily before settling on Alfred. Alfred watched cautiously as the girl's memories dripped steadily into her subconscious. Her eyes widened and cleared as she remembered how she came to be in the current situation.

"Y-You?" she stuttered, pulling the blankets up to her frightened eyes. "I-I am not a leprechaun, I cannot lead you to gold." She warned.

Alfred gave the girl a weird look, it was pretty clear already that she was not a little man dressed in green, puffing on an old pipe. Alfred also noticed she was the owner of the clear and cool voice that was obsessed with food he heard this morning. The girl swallowed nervously, her eyes torn between keeping an eye on Alfred and staring at the delicious milk and honey that sat under a metre away.

"There is food there, but not last night." Mused the girl, mostly to herself.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that, I didn't know my Aunt fed... orphans." Alfred thought that was the best word to describe the girl.

"But Joshua, you fed us first." Defended the girl, the blanket lowered to her pale neck.

Alfred looked at her curiously. "Joshua was my Granddad's name."

"What? No, your sister is Madge, is she not."

"No, she's my Great Aunt, there's a bit of an age gap."

"Age in this world confuses me." Said the girl with a sulking edge to her voice.

"Can I ask your name?" queried Alfred, ignoring the confusion that came with the girl's words.

"Names are valuable possessions." Replied the girl evasively.

"Mine's Alfred." Offered Alfred.

Viewing that as a sufficient exchange, the girl told Alfred her name. "My name is Tegan." There was a certain reverence in the way Tegan said her name, Alfred shivered slightly, he felt as if the name was wrapping around his soul and heating it.

"Right, well... Tegan, do you have any parents I can call?" asked Alfred, now the girl was awake he wanted rid of her, it would be a bit strange for a single man to have a teenage girl alone in his house.

"I do not know where my parents reside now and I doubt if you were shout for them they would come to you." Said Tegan in a straight voice.

Clearly a misunderstanding had occurred somewhere down the line.

"I mean with a telephone." Explained Alfred.

Tegan gave Alfred a blank look, Alfred stared back, now that she had completely lowered the blanket, Alfred saw Tegan was wearing a white puff shirt and a sleeveless doublet with gold thread work. This strange girl was just as old fashioned as the clothes she wore. Bored with the conversation, Tegan grabbed the bowl of milk and quickly drank it down, once she had finished she allow Merlin to lick what was left, from the way Merlin allowed Tegan to caress his fluffy fur, Alfred guessed this was not her first meeting.

Not allowing the conversation to drop, Alfred continued. "Is your house near?"

"I do not have a house, but yes, I do reside near this house." Returned Tegan evenly.

Alfred pushed himself off the bed and stepped closer to Tegan. "W-what are you doing?" she asked, nerves returning.

"Checking for bumps." Tegan let Alfred feel through her hair for any signs of her bad fall, Tegan had soft and silky hair that Alfred enjoyed running his fingers through. Pulling back, Alfred stared at Tegan with confusion; there was not even the slightest sign of their crash.

"I heal quite fast." Said Tegan with eyes cast to the floor.

"Just what are you?" wondered Alfred. "I mean, I saw you in all those all pictures with Aunt Margaret, yet here you are, decades later and you've only aged like, what, seven years?"

"I could ask you the same question." Retorted Tegan, jumping out of the bed and startling Merlin. "How can you see me anyway?"

Tegan's eyes landed on the gold chain that just peeked out from Alfred's t-shirt, in a flash she was right in front of Alfred, Alfred let out a gasp; his eyes had not even captured her movement. Tegan snatched up the chain and held it in her bony grip, inspecting the two trinkets that hung from it. Although she was thin, Tegan was taller than Alfred had first realised; her head just reached his shoulders. Satisfied with her inspection, Tegan let the chain go, Alfred hastily tucked the ring back into his shirt.

"That's a fairy ring." Stated Tegan.

Alfred stared at the strange girl, it seemed the subject of the fairy folk was constant in this house and Tegan was in on it. Whatever _it_ was. Merlin let out a rude meow, interrupting the staring contest that was just beginning between the two people. Both Tegan and Alfred stopped to stare at the cat as he sauntered out of the room. Alfred let out a small laugh and Tegan giggled, both then turned to look each other, thoughts of fairies forgotten, although it would ever be too far from one of their minds.

Alfred left the guest room and headed downstairs, Tegan on his tail and Merlin leading. Alfred was entertained when they got downstairs by the fact that Tegan had never experienced a television. When Alfred turned it on and the people appeared on screen, Tegan was mesmerised, she kept muttering things about 'elf magic' and 'beats Ian's illusions' as she doggedly sat cross legged in front of the television set. Alfred was content to let Tegan do as she please for now, it would be too late for her to return from where she came now anyways. Alfred lounged on sofa for bit, he let his eyes slip shut; the television could entertain Tegan for a few more hours, though he was quickly proven wrong.

"What the hell?" cried Tegan.

Alfred's eyes flew open. "What? What?" he asked, startled by Tegan's outburst.

Tegan glared at the fairies that danced on the screen, their shimmering blonde hair flowing behind them, their wings glittering continuously. "As if fairies would willingly play with small children without getting anything in return." Said Tegan indignantly. "And where are their sharp teeth?"

Alfred stared at Tegan incredulously; he had been doing that a lot today. "Aren't fairies or cute and girly?" he asked.

Tegan shook her head fiercely. "They are cruel little blighters with a strong bite."

After that encounter, Tegan declared she did not enjoy the television any more. Alfred was going to suggest something else when he noticed Tegan try to stifle – unsuccessfully – a yawn. Alfred was also feeling a bit tired and decided it would probably be best if they went to bed. Tegan already had her boots off as Alfred had taken them off; though not without difficulty, before he had put Tegan in bed earlier that day.

"Put out food first." Said Tegan stubbornly.

Alfred opened his mouth to say what a stupid idea that was, then he thought better of it, last time he had said such a thing, he ended up being saddled with this strange and cryptic girl. _Next time, I'll listen to the cat _thought Alfred. Obediently he filled a saucer with honey and milk and left on the windowsill outside. Compliant for now at least, Tegan climbed the stairs to her guest room but before she went in, she took a small to diversion to Aunt Margaret's room. As Alfred went by, he heard her scuffling around, Alfred peeked his head round, wondering what Tegan could possibly be up to. Tegan herself was sitting cross legged on the bed, a shoebox full of photos in front of her. Intrigued by the photos, Alfred sat next to Tegan. In Tegan's hands was a black and white picture of the blonde haired child, which from its similarities to Tegan, Alfred was beginning to suspect was a girl, another person in the photo was an older child with hair darker than the blonde child and lighter than Margaret's; who also made an appearance in the photo.

"That is my twin." Said Tegan quietly, pointing at the blonde child; who wore a sulking expression the exact copy of Tegan's.

Alfred looked at the picture for a long time before he said; "Did you know Aunt Margaret well?" he posed the same question he posed to Liz.

Tegan smiled in reminiscence. "Yes, she was kinder than most humans and was much more interesting, she was very enjoyable to be around, my twin knew her the best though, but humans are fragile, your lives are nothing more than a second when compared to our great life span."

There is was again, another hint that Tegan was not quite on the same level as Alfred both historically and biologically. Tegan caressed the picture, her eyes veiled with old memories, there was something almost personal in the way Tegan touched the pictures that forced Alfred to turn his gaze away quickly, as if he had stumbled across a lovers' secret meeting.

"We should go to bed." Said Alfred, standing up quickly.

Tegan placed the lid back on the shoebox after putting the picture back in its rightful position. She smoothed the lid gently. Alfred was quick to escape the intimate feeling that had settled across the room and get to his newly acquired room. The strewn clothes, unmade bed and half-read crime novels made it seem more like his bedroom at home, it made it more homely. Before he got on with doing everything he needed to in the attached bathroom, Alfred stripped down to his boxers, leaving his clothes behind him in a messy trail. Behind him, a floorboard squeaked, Alfred looked round and locked eyes with Tegan, who stood very unsure of herself at the doorway.

"What the-?" choked out Alfred, looking for something to cover himself with, it was strange, he would never usually be embarrassed about his body (he thought it was a good body that was the effect of many hours in the gym), but something about Tegan's clear, unquestioning eyes were very unnerving.

"I have not got clothes to sleep in." Muttered Tegan.

Alfred was stumped; he had not considered that at all. "I suppose, you could use one of my tops." He offered.

A slight rummage in his drawers and Alfred managed to find a top that was a bit too big for him, making it a perfect nightdress for Tegan. He handed the top to her without making any eye contact, Tegan took it with a word of thanks and immediately started to undress out of her doublet, her skilled fingers flying over the gold buttons.

"Woah, woah, woah!" shouted Alfred,

Thankfully Tegan paused in the undoing of her clothes. "What is it?" she asked in an innocent voice.

Alfred realised the next words out of his words would make him sound like a pervert, especially if he had to explain them to the naive girl. "Never mind, I'm just going into the bathroom." He said, retreating out of the room.

Alfred sat in the bathroom trying to preoccupy himself with the brushing of his teeth rather than the teenager getting undressed only a few metres away. Yet the more he tried to push the thought away, the more force it came back with. After an agonising few minutes, Alfred tentatively peeked his head around the bathroom door. Tegan had finished getting changed, that was the only upside of the situation, slim legs disappeared into the baggy t-shirt that hung seductively off one shoulder. Alfred had been hoping the padding of the doublet was the reason for Tegan's chest. He was wrong. Alfred wondered if ramming his head repeatedly against the nearest wall was appropriate for the current situation.

"You can go now." Said Alfred awkwardly.

Tegan shuffled her feet but no other movement. "I have never slept by myself." She said shyly.

Alfred all but groaned, the wall was looking more and more inviting. "Fine." He sighed. "But stay on your side."

Tegan hopped into bed with a wide smile, Alfred got in reluctantly. Luckily for Alfred, Tegan's style of sleeping was to curl up in a small ball like a cat, her head tucked under the blanket so only her inky black locks were viewable. Alfred lay stiffly on his side, facing away from Tegan, tiredness fought with his constant knowing of her presence.

"It has been a long time since I slept." Mumbled Tegan into the blanket.

"How long?" asked Alfred before he could stop himself.

"Six months." Mumbled Tegan.

Alfred assumed he heard wrong but did not want to confirm or disprove what he thought she had said. A calm silence fell over the room, soft and even breath sounded from Tegan as slipped into slumber, outside, a raven cawed loudly to others of his kind, to humans it was nothing more than ominous, to the forest creatures it warned of the coming of something bad.

When Tegan awoke, she was alone in the warm bed. Slowly, she padded over to the large window and drew apart the curtains. Judging by the height of the sun, Tegan guessed it was about eleven o'clock. With a small shiver Tegan realised she had been away from her twin for nearly twenty-four hours, such was never heard of usually. She would have to leave Madge's great nephew soon, but he kept asking about such absurdities like her house and parents. Sometimes Tegan wondered if that ignorant boy really was related to the brilliant Madge, he certainly did look identical to Joshua, they had a similar personality. Joshua though, had grown with his roots firmly entwined in magic, Alfred on the other hand had grown up in a practical world that tried to explain everything and expelled anything that did not fit to its regulations.

Alfred turned over the bacon in the frying pan as he whistled softly to himself. He had been quick to get out of bed in the morning; Tegan had somehow managed to latch herself onto Alfred in the night and had her head snuggled in the crook of his neck, her soft breath made goose bumps of his tanned skin. The awkward positioning only occurred to Alfred after he noticed Tegan's ears, clearly in the night her hair had become tangled and spread out on the pillow behind her, this revealed a pair of ears with delicate pointed tips. At first Alfred though his eyes were playing tricks on him, everything was a bit blurry without his glasses; he could manage without them but had become reliant on them, but even with the glasses, the ears were just as defined into tapered points.

Tipping the bacon onto the plate, Alfred began to pull small pieces off it as it was too hot to take bites from but Alfred was too hungry to wait for extended periods of time. An obtrusive cough made itself known from the hallway, Alfred looked up and as expected, Tegan was standing there, thankfully back in her puff shirt ensemble minus the doublet. Tegan cast a small glance towards the door.

"I should be leaving you presence soon." She said politely. "Thank you for caring for me."

"No problemo." Beamed Alfred, trying not to think about Tegan's ears.

Tegan risked a little smile back, showing perfectly straight and pearly teeth. "Can you not speak of my name to others." She asked.

Alfred shrugged, he was not going to be speaking of this encounter at all after it was over. "Why not." He finished the last of the bacon. "Now, I'll walk you to your home."

Tegan shook her head. "It is alright, I shall go by myself."

"No, no." Argued Alfred, he had some sense of responsibility for Tegan. "It could be dangerous, you live on the other side of that maze, don't ya?"

"Mmm." Said Tegan evasively.

"C'mon." Said Alfred, practically dragging Tegan outside.

As he was looking at the annoyed Tegan rather what was in front of him. Alfred did not notice the teenager that stood in his way until he bumped into him. Alfred glanced at his blockade with surprise, it was the blonde haired teenager that was also Tegan's twin. The teenager's feminine features were the exact copy of Tegan's, but the teenager's eyebrows were much thicker and drawn into a prominent scowl.

"Brother!" cried Tegan, flinging herself at the blonde haired teenager.

Alfred rose his eyebrows, this child certainly did not look like a boy, in any way, his form was thin and his skin glimmered like his sister's, he was as tall as his sister as well. Tegan pulled away from the hug to caress her brother's face with affection, her brother did the same and green and blue eyes stalked each other more deeply that Alfred thought possible. After that strangely intimate reunion, the blonde teenager glared at Alfred, he also moved in front of Tegan in a protective stance.

"Why did you capture my Tegan?" growled the boy, he was the owner of the voice like a slow-flowing stream.

Alfred was surprised at the boy's possessive term, but made no comment on it. "I was just being helpful" he explained.

"Humans are never just 'helpful', they are too greedy." Said the boy haughtily. "How terrible of you, Joshua."

"He is not Joshua, he is Alfred." Intervened Tegan, putting a hand on her twin's shoulder. "Now you must give him your name, must you not?"

The boy glared at Alfred and said in a reluctant voice. "I will tell you my name only because it is necessary; I am Arthur."

Tegan smiled happily, "Now everyone will be able to get along." She clearly viewed the world more simply than her brother.

Alfred certainly did not think he would be getting along with the grumpy Arthur any time soon.

"Tegan, does he know?" asked Arthur, pointedly ignoring the 'he' in question.

"Not every detail, but he is so nice and he is Madge's family." Defended Tegan.

"Blood means nothing to Humans." Grumbled Arthur, his eyes grew dangerously dark.

Tegan paused, her eyes clouding over slightly, Alfred had enough experience with younger children to know Tegan was close to tears about the situation. Alfred felt that was partly his fault for not believing her or letting her explain herself.

"Maybe you could explain everything now." Said Alfred, gesturing back into the house.

Arthur clearly wanted to say no, but Tegan was over eager to clear up the beginnings of bad blood between her brother and her helper. Arthur was extremely uncomfortable with having to step inside the house and was constantly checking behind him for dangers. Even once he had sat down at the dining room table, Arthur was still fidgety and uncomfortable.

"Did you know Madge believed in the Fey?" started Tegan.

"Not until I heard from the people in the village." Clarified Alfred.

"Madge was very magically endowed." Said Arthur unexpectedly. "You on the other hand..."

"Yeah, yeah, eyebrows, I get it." Said Alfred in a thoroughly irritated voice.

Arthur immediately fluffed up while Tegan let out a small giggle like the chime of bells, with another of many huffs Arthur sat back in his chair, though not in a slouch as his back was still ram-rod straight. Alfred much preferred the female twin to her grumpy brother; her kind outlook was very refreshing.

"Casterbridge has always been famed for its roots in magic and the Fey Folk." Said Tegan. "It has many natural sites associated with mystical events."

Alfred felt that he was part of some advert on the highlights of visiting this remote village.

"How much do you know about the different races of Fey?" asked Tegan.

Clearly Alfred's blank stare said it all as Tegan's face fell slightly and Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Fairies?" offered Alfred weakly.

"Yes, I suppose, how about Elves. Trolls or Goblins?" suggested Tegan.

"Or Pixies." Added Arthur.

Something clicked in Alfred's mind, he did not know how it clicked or what even clicked in the first place as he had not even an inkling of an idea about the strange world that these eccentric twins had emerged from.

"Are you guys... Pixies." The word sounded strange of Alfred's lips.

Tegan beamed. "You got it, maybe Madge is watching over you."

Alfred stared at Tegan and Arthur, it did make sense with their round, mischievous faces, small yet lithe frames and sparkling eyes. Then there was the mystical air the enveloped them. Alfred's mind was split pretty evenly between disbelief and acceptance.

"Sister, we must leave now." Stated Arthur, rising to his full yet still small stature.

Tegan pouted. "But Brother, now we can come back to this house freely."

"Do you think we can just replace Madge with this ridiculous man?" complained Arthur, Alfred had the distinct feeling he was being ignored. "Besides, Ian and Alastar have made it hard to leave the Hollow now."

Tegan looked utterly crestfallen, with a small sigh she followed Arthur out of the room, Alfred trailed after them unable to think of any way to prevent what was happening before him. Arthur paused in front of the kitchen window, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Grazing on the grass outside was the miniature sheep Alfred had seen before.

"Do you know that sheep?" Asked Alfred, no doubt one of the strangest questions he had asked.

Since Arthur was in no hurry to answer, Tegan said. "All Fey have a familiar, and that sheep is Alastar's."

Funnily enough, the first question that occurred to Alfred was not the fact that the Fey have an animal counterpart. "Who's Alastar?"

Tegan twisted a lock of hair in thought. "He is a Dark Elf. He is very dangerous so do not go near that sheep."

It was strange advice, but nevertheless it was advice Alfred would follow. In an attempt to be helpful, Alfred commented. "There was a rabbit before."

Without looking away from the munching sheep, Arthur said. "That is my familiar."

"It was getting on pretty well with that sheep." Said Alfred slightly snidely.

"What familiars do is of no concern to the Fey." Stated Arthur, giving Alfred a sideways glance.

Tegan nodded. "I have not seen my familiar in years."

Arthur headed to the back door, "We should take our leave."

Tegan jumped into a tight hug with Alfred, Alfred awkwardly returned the hug, trying to ignore the piercing glare of Tegan's disgruntled twin. Tegan had a strange smell of damp earth and moss after a long period of rain, it was not a particularly pleasant scent but it made Alfred feel warm to his core.

Tegan pulled away slowly, "Be safe." She smiled.

Alfred nodded mutely, and watched silently as the pair of Pixies disappeared down the garden and through the maze.

Tegan walked behind her brother sadly, his tight grip on her hand was the only thing that really kept her moving. Her older brother was practically storming along the winding maze, the directions embedded in his head since he was young. Tegan already missed the kind Alfred and his interesting human food; that was much better than Fey fruit. A lonely tear trickled down Tegan's rosy cheek, sensing her feelings, Arthur whipped round to face his beloved twin.

"My Sister," he sighed sadly. "You do understand I am protecting you this way."

Tegan gave a slight nod of understanding. "His kindness is so close to Madge's, dear Brother, if only things were safe, surely we could see him again."

Arthur lent in to kiss his Sister, enjoying the taste of rich cherries that always lingered on her lips and tongue, with a sweet smile, Arthur pulled back and looked at his blushing twin. "I promise we shall come back when it is safe to do so."

Tegan grinned jovially and clasped her Brother's delicate hand. "We cannot forget the memories ingrained in that house."

Arthur shook his head with a small chuckle. "Memories like those are never forgotten."

Tegan gazed up at the sky, the clouds were beginning to clear in a sign of good weather ahead; it had been a cloudy summer's day like today that the twins had first met a girl that would inconceivably change their world.

_Madge crouched in her brilliant hiding place; inside a hollow hedge. Her large brother would never be able to squeeze into such a place. Madge unsuccessfully tried to suppress another round of giggles at the brilliancy of her hidden position. She could hear her brother clunking around in heavy boots and calling her name, as if she would reveal herself, she would wait until Joshua had given up completely and show herself as the triumphant winner._

_Something rustled nearby, intrigued, Madge crept over to where the sound came from, two wide, blue eyes stared from a face of black fur. Madge let out a squeal of terror and desperately scrambled backwards. On hearing his sister's cry, Joshua forgot the game and crashed through the hedge to get to her, completely prepared to be the hero of the day._

"_What's wrong?" He asked._

_Madge pointed to the small black mouse that sat on the dead leaves that littered the floor of the interior of the hedge._

_Joshua laughed heartily. "Why, that's just a little mouse!"_

_Madge clenched her eyes shut and shook her head fiercely; her auburn curls whipped back and forth furiously, she could not stand mice, not one bit, their cat; Lancelot, loved to bring in half-dead ones as presents, much to her and her mother's dismay. The mouse, unperturbed by Madge's squeals, crept further towards the siblings, it tail twitched with interest._

_Joshua outstretched one hand for the mouse to sniff nimbly before retreating back, the mouse repeated this process several times, then finally it retreated completely back to its original place. With a small shiver, the mouse grew into a small child with mischievous eyes and short, black hair. Both Joshua and Madge were astonished, but their childish minds were able to cope with such impossible things rather than an adult mind that used facts and regulations as a basis for every event._

"_Hello." Said the girl, a little shyly._

"_Hello." Muttered Joshua and Madge just as shyly._

"_Can we be friends?" asked the girl, Joshua noticed that her clothing was like the pirates he saw in movies. Madge was more preoccupied by how the girl's voice was like fresh, mountain air that chaffed your cheeks to a reddened state._

"_We have to know your name first." Said Madge unexpectedly brave._

_The girl fiddled with the cuff of her shirt. "Only if you tell me yours first." _

"_Mine's Madge, and this is my brother; Joshua." Said Madge with a bright smile._

_The girl smiled tentatively back. "My name is Tegan, I also have a brother."_

_Happy at her new friend, Madge offered that they should all play hide and seek, at first Joshua was unsure about the new girl, but he warmed to her as his sister did. She was incredibly kind and full of fresh innocence, even a ten-year-old child like Joshua could notice. _

_The three children played until the sun lazily drifted to touch the horizon. When the calls for them to return to their homes sounded; Madge and Joshua turned sadly to Tegan not wanting to finish their games quite yet. Tegan had no calls of parents or a warm home to return to the forest at the back of Joshua and Madge's house was her only place and her brother her only protector._

_Madge agreed to meet the strange Tegan again the next day, it was the summer holidays and the days were long and empty with nothing to do except play for children. Tegan's days were even longer with no need for food and sleep though that did not stop her from enjoying it. Tegan also agreed to bring her brother, Joshua was more excited about that, he wanted a boy to wrestle around with and do boy things._

_Tegan watched her new found friends leave the forest, a small smile still present of her elfish features._

Tegan and Arthur flew through the forest; Tegan as a small flitting blackbird and Arthur as a larger swift dove. For most of the journey back to their hollow, Tegan had been preoccupied with her endless memories, she realised happily most of them involved her beautiful twin, Arthur had always been by her side and always would be. In the hundreds of years she had walked the forest, Arthur had walked beside her, it was a kind of comfort she had come to depend on and she did not know what she would do without it. It was a bond humans would not be able to understand, her brother was her soul mate, nothing more than a partnership of matching souls, the odd show of physical contact was seen as normal as well, but that was true for all Fey.

Tegan always enjoyed flying; it made her feel free, far above the Fey that would try to use those of their kind weaker than them, in this case; Elves and Pixies. Pixies are fun loving and in close contact with the Humans that fed them, they have deep traditions and strong transformation magic. Elves are stoic and cripplingly reserved, especially towards humans, they are brilliant fighters and controllers of the elements. Each species of Fey wanted what the other had and other bloody disputes would start. Things were calm at the moment, but the Elves were continually pushing into Casterbridge; one of the main homes of the Pixies, from the deep English wilderness. The last thing Tegan wanted was bloodshed, on either sides, but as Arthur always told her, the tides of war will come and go and the will of one Fey will not be able to stop that.

**Yay! Second chapter, few days late though, I really apologise for that, I've been Christmas shopping for the family e_o it's very harrowing. Oh well, just as a side note, I love how innocent Tegan is, nobody is like that in real life, my brother was taught swearwords by his friends at school. He's five. Anyways, I'll try to stop rambling now, please do leave a review, I enjoy constructive criticism but don't flame, only writers could understand how much that hurts ;^; **


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